The LORAX, by Dr. Seuss Reader s Theater, A Supplemental Material adapted for classroom use by Rose Mary F. Pinder

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1 Cast Lorax Voices 1 & 2 Once-ler Voices 1, 2 & 3 Sound Effects Voice Narrators 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 All The LORAX, by Dr. Seuss Reader s Theater, A Supplemental Material adapted for classroom use by Rose Mary F. Pinder Scene 1 Narrator 1: At the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows and the wind smells slowand-sour; deep in the Grickle-grass, some people say, if you look deep enough you can still see, today, where the Lorax once stood, just as long as it could. Narrator 2: What was the Lorax?? And why was it there??? And why was it lifted and taken somewhere, from the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows? Narrator 3: The old Once-ler still lives here. Ask him. He knows. Narrator 4: You won t see the Once-ler. He stays in his Lerkim on top of his store. On special occasions, at midnight, he peeks out of the shutters and sometimes he speaks. Tells how the Lorax was lifted away if you re willing to pay. Narrator 5: On the end of a rope he let down a tin pail. And you have to toss in fifteen cents, a nail, and the shell of a great-great-great grandfather snail. Narrator 1: He pulls up the pail, makes a most careful count to see if you ve paid him the proper amount. Narrator 2: Then he hides what you paid him away in his Snuvv, his secret strange hole in his gruvvulous glove. Once-ler Voice 1: (grunts) I will call you by Whisper-ma-Phone for the secrets I tell are for your ears alone. Sound Effects Voice: SLUPP!!!

2 Narrator 3: Down slupps the Whisper-ma-Phone to your ear and the old Once-ler s whispers are not very clear, since they have to come down through a snergelly hose. He sounds as if he had smallish bees up his nose. Once-ler Voice 2: (sounds as if he has smallish bees up his nose) It all started way back Such a long, long time back Way back in the days when the grass was still green and the pond was still wet, the clouds still clean and the song of the Swamee-Swans rang out in space, one morning I came to this glorious place. I first saw the trees, the truffula trees! The bright tufts were mile after mile in the fresh morning breeze. Once-ler Voice 1: (sounds as if he has smallish bees up his nose) Under the trees, I saw Brown Bar-ba-loots frisking about in their Bar-ba-loots suits as they played in the shade and ate Truffula Fruits. Once-ler Voice 2: (sounds as if he has smallish bees up his nose) From the rippulous pond came the comfortable sound of the Humming-Fish humming. Sound Effects Voice: Hummm sound Once-ler Voice 1: But those trees!!! Those Truffula Trees, all my life I d been searching for trees such as these. The touch of their tufts was much softer than silk. They had the sweet smell of fresh butterfly milk. ***

3 Scene 2 Narrator 5: In no time at all the Once-ler had built a small shop. He chopped down a Truffula Tree with skill and great speed. Sound Effects Voice: Chopping sound Once-ler Voice 1: With speedy speed, I chopped and I took the soft tufts and knitted a Thneed!!! Once-ler Voice 3: (sounds as if he has smallish bees up his nose) The instant I finished I heard Sound Effects Voice: ga-zump!!! Narrator 1: He was shortish, and oldish, and brownish, and mossy. He spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy. Lorax Voice 1: (sharpish tone, sawdusty sneeze) Mister, I am the Lorax. Once-ler Voice 3: The who? Lorax Voice 1: I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues. I am asking you sir at the top of my lungs. What is that Thing you ve made out of my Truffula tuft? Once-ler Voice 3: Look, Lorax. There is no cause for alarm. I chopped just one tree. I am doing no harm. I am being quite useful, this thing is a thneed. A fine something all people need. Lorax Voice 1: Sir, you are crazy with greed. There is no one on earth who would buy that fool Thneed! Narrator 2: The very next moment he was proven wrong. A chap came along and thought that the Thneed was great and happily bought it for three ninety-eight. Once-ler Voice 3: (laughing) You poor stupid guy. You can never tell what some people will buy. Lorax Voice 1: I repeat. I speak for the trees!!! (sounds angry) Narrator 3: The Once-ler rushed cross the room, and in no time at all, built a radio-phone. He put in a quick call to his brothers, uncles, and aunts.

4 Once-ler Voice 3: Listen here! A wonderful chance for the whole Once-ler Family to get mighty rich! Get over here fast! Take the road to North Nitch. Turn left at Weehawken and a sharp right at South Stitch. Narrator 4: In no time at all in the factory that the Once ler built, the whole family was working. They were knitting Thneeds to the sound of chopping of Truffula Trees. Sound Effects Voice: Chop, chop, chop! ***

5 Scene 3 Narrator 5: How the Once-ler s business grew! Chopping one tree at a time was now too slow. So the Once-ler quickly invented his Super-Axe-Hacker. It whacked off four Truffula Trees at one smacker. He was making Thneeds four times as fast as before and the Lorax did not show up any more. Narrator 1: The next week the Lorax knocked on the Once-ler s new office door. Lorax Voice 2: I m the Lorax who speaks for the trees which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please. I m also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots who played in the shade in their Barba-loot suits and happily lived, eating Truffula Fruits. Now, thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground there s not enough fruit to go round. My poor Bar-ba-loots are all getting the crummies because they have gas and no food in their tummies. Narrator 5: The Bar-ba-loots loved living there. But the Lorax could not let them stay because there was no food. Lorax Voice 2: Good luck, boys. Hope you find food. Once-ler Voice 3: It s sad to see them go, but business is business and business must grow regardless of tummies, you know. But I have to grow bigger. I biggered my factory, my roads, my wagons and the loads of the Thneeds I sent out. I m selling more Thneeds which everyone needs. Narrator 2: The Once-ler was fixing his pipes and the old-nuisance Lorax came back with more gripes. Lorax Voice 2: (coughing and sneezing gruffly) I am the Lorax. Once-ler, you re making such smogulous smoke. My poor Swomee-Swans, why they can t sing a note! No one can sing who has smog in their throat. Please pardon my cough. They cannot live here. So I ll send them off. Once-ler Voice 3: Where will they go? Lorax Voice 2: I don t know. What s more, let me say a few words about Gluppity-Glup. Your machines chugs on day and night without stop, making Gluppity-Glup; also, Schloppity- Schloopp. And what do you do with this leftover goo? I ll show you. You dirty old Once-ler man, you. You re glumping the pond where the Humming-Fish hummed! No more can they hum, for their gills are all gummed. So I m sending them off. Oh, their future is dreary. They ll walk on their fins and get woefully weary in search of some water that isn t so smeary. Narrator 2: The Once-ler got angry and yelled at the Lorax.

6 Once-ler Voice 3: Now listen here, Dad! All you do is yap-yap and say, bad, bad, bad! Well, I have my rights, sir, and I m telling you I intend to go on doing just what I do! For your information, you Lorax, I m figgering on biggering and biggering and biggering, turning more Truffula Trees into Thneeds which everyone needs. Narrator 3: At that very moment we heard a loud whack! From outside in the fields came a sickening smack of an axe on a tree. Then we heard the last Truffula tree of all fall. Narrator 4: No more trees. No more Thneeds. No more work to be done. So in no time at all the Once-ler s uncles, aunts and everyone waved him good-bye. Now all that was left beneath the bad-smelling sky was the empty factory the Lorax and the Once-ler. Narrator 5: The Lorax said nothing. He just gave the Once-ler a very sad glance as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants. Once-ler Voice 3: I ll never forget the grim look on his face when Lorax heisted himself and took leave of this place through a hole in the smog without leaving a trace. Narrator 1: All the Lorax left in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with the one word UNLESS. Whatever that means. Narrator 2: That was a long, long time ago, now. But every day since then the Once-ler has sat and worried through the years with his whole heart while his buildings fell apart. Once-ler Voice 3: Now, after all these years, this day, the meaning of the word of the Lorax, UNLESS, is perfectly clear. All: (said in unison) Unless someone cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It s not. ***

The Lorax. By Dr. Seuss

The Lorax. By Dr. Seuss The Lorax By Dr. Seuss At the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows and the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows and no birds ever sing excepting old crows is the Street of the Lifted Lorax.